WEST POINT, Ala. – The West Point Warriors and Lady Warriors hosted the Hayden Wildcats at Jim Boyd Gymnasium for some Thursday night hoops actions and West Point ended up splitting the varsity battles. The Lady Warriors edged the Lady Wildcats 52-51 but the Warriors were unable to keep up with Hayden in the second half and ended up dropping their game to the Wildcats 71-48.
West Point 52 – Hayden 51 (Varsity Girls)
Liberty Shadix knocked down a short jumper to put West Point on the scoreboard first, but three free throws by Hayden gave them an early 3-2 lead. A basket down low by Liberty Shadix gave the Lady Warriors a 4-3 lead; she later added another basket down low to make it 6-5. Jaylen Faulkner scored on an off-balance jumper and Hallie Wheeler drained a three as the Lady Warriors took an 11-5 lead into the second quarter.
Shadix dominated the glass the whole game as she got a rebound and scored down low to make it 13-5 early in the second period. She then added a pair of free throws to push their lead to 15-5. Hayden couldn’t find an answer for Shadix as she hit three more baskets down low to make it 21-11, but the Lady Wildcats went on a run to trim the deficit to just five at 21-16. Jaylen Faulkner hit a shot down low and later drilled a three to give the Lady Warriors a 26-19 lead. Cameron Faulkner and Ella Minck each added a basket as well and West Point took a 30-24 lead into the half.
The start of the third quarter saw the Lady Wildcats get off to a quick start as they scored the first nine points to take a 33-30 lead. The Lady Warriors finally got on the scoreboard in the third period on a Wheeler three as that tied the game up at 33 with 4:25 remaining in the third quarter. Back-to-back baskets down low off an offensive rebound by Shadix gave the Lady Warriors a 37-35 lead. The Lady Wildcats took a 38-37 lead with 1:03 remaining in the period, but another Wheeler three gave West Point the lead right back at 41-38 and Laklin Shadix added a free throw as the Lady Warriors went into the final period up, 42-38.
A three-point play by Hayden trimmed the West Point lead to 42-41, but a jumper by Cameron Faulkner and a pair of Shadix free throws gave the Lady Warriors a 47-43 lead. A Wheeler layup made it 49-41, but the Lady Wildcats cut it to 49-45. A pair of Cameron Faulkner free throws and one by Minck made it 52-45 and West Point withstood a pair of Hayden threes to win the game, 52-51.
Liberty Shadix finished the game with 22 points, 21 rebounds, six blocks and three steals for West Point (4-4). Wheeler added 11 points, while Jaylen Faulkner ended up with seven points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Cameron Faulkner added six points, 10 rebounds, three steals and a block.
Hayden 71 – West Point 48 (Varsity Boys)
Ashton Rodgers quickly got West Point on the scoreboard first on a steal and a layup, then Jay Lamar drilled a trey to give the Warriors an early 5-2 lead. A Hayden 6-0 run, though, gave them an 8-5 lead. A Lamar free throw and a shot made by Jacob Harbison tied the game up at eight. The Wildcats quickly broke the tie as they scored five straight points to grab a 13-8 lead. A Pressley Burtis three trimmed the deficit to just two at 13-11. An and-one by Hayden pushed their lead to 16-11, but Lamar hit a shot down low to make it 16-13. He drilled a trio of free throws, then drained a three to give the Warriors a 19-16 lead, but the Wildcats got the last lead to end the first quarter as they scored six straight points and West Point found themselves down, 22-19, going into the second period.
Lamar and J.D. Cochran each hit a basket to make it a 25-23 game early in the second period, but a quick scoring run by Hayden saw them push their lead to 30-23. A Harbison basket down low, later followed by a rebound and put-back by Aiden Dujoud, cut it to 30-27 with less than four minutes to go in the first half. Kanaan Sutter drilled a three from the right wing to make it a 31-30 game. Another Sutter basket tied the game up at 32 and a Rodgers basket down low gave West Point a 34-33 lead, but a late basket by the Wildcats saw them take a 35-34 lead into the locker room.
Hayden quickly pushed its lead to 41-34 to start out the third quarter. A Cochran basket down low made it 41-36, but after that, it was all Wildcats as they couldn’t seem to miss in the third period and quickly increased their lead to double-digits as a 14-2 run gave them a 53-38 lead. Hayden would take a 60-39 lead into the final period. West Point looked to mount a comeback in the final period, but the deficit proved to be too much for them to overcome as the Warriors ended up falling to the Wildcats, 71-48.
Lamar finished with 16 points for West Point (3-7). Rodgers added 11 points, five rebounds, and three steals, while Sutter ended up with seven points, 10 rebounds, and three steals.
West Point will travel to take on Brewer next Tuesday night.
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